BILLION DOLLAR BABIES – Die For Diamonds

Sweden’s Billion Dollar Babies have finally released their debut album Die For Diamonds. After doing well with their rocking 2005 EP, Stand Your Ground, the coming of Die For Diamonds six years later turned out to be another small  shakedown in the Americanization of the Swedish Rock / Glam scene. With strong influences from the Shock Rock Kiss-era of the 70s, ranging to the sweet Glamish outputs of the late 80s Motley Crue, B.D.B. is yet another answer to what the American scene has been losing for almost two decades.

It’s not that B.D.B. did anything different on Die For Diamonds than what was feeding the old American Rock scene in the past, but the performance of the group and the feeling of the music in the present has made an impact. The material is so easy to comprehend and keeps the flow as if most of it was written by the book on how to create catchy tunes. With slight dips into AOR, B.D.B. have composed some wonderful tracks … even with their rather modern production, they still maintain the 80s sensation with finesse. Moreover, there is a worthy supply of attractive lead guitar cracks, nice grooves, cool keyboards with an aura straight from the 80s, high-powered and diverse vocals, and even an additional smooth lead saxophone for a different Pop-ish flavor.

Of course, not everything is solid gold here, yet Die For Diamonds have introduced some grand hits of 80s oriented Hard Rock with a modern touch. “Highest Mountain” is probably the best thing the band has put together and it actually sounds like other modern Swedish Hard Rock / Glam Metal acts … it’s an amazing tune and the band’s greatest work. Other tracks such “Second Time Around”, “Key To My Heart”, “We Don’t Live Forever”, “Right On Time”, and the sleek “Boys Night Out” sound great and as if they were taken out from the past with themes that won’t ever die.

B.D.B. is a name that will surely turn out more than once in the coming years. Die For Diamonds is good work for a debut album and has a chance to put another stamp on the Hard Rock world … and to evidence the growing power of the Swedish scene.

Tracklist

1. Boys Night Out
2. Highest Mountain
3. Restless Minds
4. Lose It
5. Key to my Heart
6. Second Time Around
7. Right on Time
8. Stand your Ground
9. Nineteen Ninety Four
10. We don’t live forever

Lineup

Pat Kramer : Guitar, Back Vocals
Robby “Robban” Rock : Drums, Back Vocals
John Silver : Guitar, Back Vocals
Franki Rich : Vocals
Nic Lester : Bass, Back Vocals